I felt groggy and my head was heavy as I slowly tried to wake up.
My movements had perhaps alerted the people around me as I heard:
"Lady! Lady Eleanor! Master is waking up!"
As I opened my eyes, in my hazy vision I saw somebody rushing towards me.
A gentle, calming scent of lavender hit my nose as the person came close, making me feel really comfortable.
Pat. Pat. Pat.
They patted my face and asked in a worried voice, "My dear! My baby! Are you alright!?"
Pat. Pat. Pat.
"Open your eyes. Look at mommy!"
'Ah… so this lady is the mother.' I thought to myself as my eyes regained clarity.
It had been nothing short of a roller coaster ride ever since I had a heart attack.
I thought I was dead, but no, I was in limbo apparently, and then I met some lady who made me reincarnate, and now here I am, listening to the cries of a beautiful lady who called herself as my mother.
"Julien! Julien! My baby!"
The lady held my shoulders and shook me vigorously, snapping me out of my daze.
I saw a beautiful face. One that made me forget all worries. It was so gentle and delicate that it felt even a slight touch could harm it.
The jewel-like clear blue eyes that resembled the ocean, they were teary and screamed of concern.
The golden locks of hair brushed against my face as the lady was quite close while patting my face. Everything seemed to have slowed down as I was watching her, that's how mesmerizing her beauty was.
"Julien!"
The flow of time was back to normal as my eyes regained their focus and locked onto the clear blue ones of the lady in front.
"Yes?" I asked.
"Julien!" The lady exclaimed once again. This time, her shout was that of relief and not panic.
She hugged me tightly and said while rubbing my back, "Oh my dear, you don't know how scared mommy was. You weren't responding for two whole days!"
"Hm?" I tried to make sense of the situation.
"Oh god, I am so relieved. So very relieved!" The lady broke the hug and said while looking at me.
She kissed my forehead repeatedly and said, "Don't scare mommy like that again! Please, my dear, I beg you!"
The sudden shower of love was warm and wholesome, but my heart was numb and I did not feel anything. My mind rejected this and I knew I was not worthy of love to deserve all of this.
My misfortune had killed many around me ever since I was a child. Even after my death, it continued on, and I seemed to have caused the death of this person called Julien whose body I had acquired.
The poor mother in front… she just lost her child and doesn't even know that she's showering a complete stranger with love and concern.
Sigh… this won't do.
I have to tell this lady the truth. She deserves to know it. This is the least I could do for Julien and pay my respect and gratitude.
Plus, if I don't tell her the truth now, things would only get more problematic later on.
If she gets attached to me and continues to love me, my misfortune would get her and may end up killing her. It was best if I kept my distance.
"Julien, say something." The lady urged me.
Getting an opportunity, I looked at the lady, dead in the eyes, and said, "Ma'am, I am not Julien."
"…"
The room was deathly silent after my hoarse voice said something.
It took a solid few seconds for the lady to process what I had just said. Thinking it was just her ears ringing, she said, "What did you say, baby? Mommy wasn't able to hear it clearly."
I took a deep breath and shook my head.
Gently pushing the lady away from me, I got down the bed and had a look at the two people in my room.
One was the young girl whom I saw before collapsing and the other was Julien's mother, the beautiful lady with golden locks of hair radiating like sunshine.
I looked at the two and said, "This may sound strange, but please hear me out."
The two ladies stared at me with knitted brows, as if they were looking at something really weird.
"Julien, my dear, what are you trying to do? You should be resting, not roaming around." The beautiful lady said with a sad, motherly frown.
"Please, can you listen to me first?" I urged them.
"What's there to listen?" The lady argued.
I distanced myself from them a bit and pointing at myself, said, "This, the person you're talking to right now… I'm not your Julien."
"Huh?"
"Huh!?"
The two ladies were visibly surprised by my words.
"Yes. I'm not Julien. My name's… hm? What… what's my name?"
Something's strange. I can't remember my name.
Shit, what was my name!?! What do I tell these ladies now!?
"Baby, you're still very sick. Get back to bed and rest." The lady got up and walked towards. "You've been muttering strange things from the moment you woke up."
"M'lady… I think something has happened to master's memory. It's probably related to the poison." The young girl, in a conservative maid uniform, gave her two cents on this matter.
"Hm… could be the effects of poison, yes." The lady seemed to agree with her.
"Wait. I haven't lost my memory." I hurriedly stated and distanced myself from the two. "I am actually Jack. Yes, my name's Jack, and I hail from a world called…"
Fuck! What world!?! I can't even remember that now!
"…m-m-mockingjay world! Yes, I hail from a world called the Mockingjay world. Please don't confuse me with your son Julien."
The two ladies knitted their brows as they heard that.
The motherly lady rubbed her temples and said, "Sophie, close the windows and door. Then go outside and keep guard. Make sure nobody enters the room until I say so."
"Understood, M'lady."
Snap! Snap! Snap!
With just the snap of her fingers, all the windows of the room were closed shut, blocking the sunlight and dimming the place.
The girl called Sophie walked out of the room and closed the door.
I have no idea how she was able to close everything so swiftly and with just the snap of her fingers like it was magic, but I had a feeling that I was going to be in trouble right now.
"Julien." The blonde lady looked at me and said, in a completely serious tone.
She was about to say something again, but I shook my head and interrupted.
"No. I'm not Julien. I'm Jack from the Mockingjay world."
I made false names, but it was alright. At least it was enough to distinguish myself from this body's previous owner.
The blonde lady looked at me for a few seconds, then sighed, as if really tired.
"Have a seat first. I'll listen to what you have to say."
She walked towards the study table and picked two cushioned wooden chairs, bringing them close to me. She carried them as if they were as light as feathers, shocking me.
"Sit." She pointed at the chair opposite to hers and instructed.
I seem to have no other choice than to listen, which I did, and sat down obediently.
"Now tell me. What were you saying?" The lady asked in a gentle, unhurried tone.
Her lavender scent hit me once again, calming me down significantly. I collected my thoughts and said, "I… I am not your Julien, ma'am. I am someone else and my name is Jack. I hail from a world called the Mockingjay and…"
"And?"
And what?
What was I going to say next?
Shit. What has happened to my memory!? Why can't I remember anything? Let alone remember, I am unable to recall what I was doing in my previous world.
My memories… they were slowly fading away.
No… this can't be…
This can't be happening!
"…and what, Jack? Say something."
The lady seemed to have accepted my name and was calling me by that.
I looked at her and shook my head, honestly saying, "I am unable to recall much things."
"Figures." The lady said.
I sighed and continued, "However, what I do know is that I'm not your son. You shouldn't have any attachment to me and abandon me somewhere."
I saw a flicker in the lady's eyes and her hands trembled.
"Why is that the case, Jack?" The lady's voice was somewhat hoarse as she asked that.
"Well… if I were to tell you the truth, I am a curse. I bring misfortune to everyone around me. I have already died once, and this is my second life. In my past life, my misfortune had caused…"